


Not Like Romance Movies

by Symph95



Series: Bokuaka Week 2020 [7]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dimension Travel, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Shapeshifter Bokuto, Vet Student Akaashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:21:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25781293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Symph95/pseuds/Symph95
Summary: In the middle of his room sat a half-naked winged man in a pool of blood.Akaashi blinked, then blinked again. His brain whirled a hundred miles per second.He didn’t learn this in vet school.or Akaashi is a vet student who doesn't believe in love but is persuaded by a dimension hopping shapeshifter.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Miya Osamu, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Series: Bokuaka Week 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860532
Comments: 1
Kudos: 66
Collections: Bokuaka Week 2020





	Not Like Romance Movies

**Author's Note:**

> Well hello there! This took a little longer than I wanted to get it out, but here it is! Whatever it is. I hope you enjoy :D

Akaashi never had anyone come to his apartment. When asked, he shrugged it off or said it was too small and disorganized. But the shelves were constantly swept, and the sparkling kitchen had a bar. Not even his closest friends could come in.

That’s why Oikawa huffed as Akaashi said he was going home with the bar surrounding them chattering loudly. He leaned closer, the fresh scent of alcohol scrunching Akaashi’s nose.

“Oh come on Akaashi,” he said. “Take a night to chill out before your exam. I’m sure one of these people would be more than willing to help with that. With your cute face and all.”

Akaashi eyed the table next to him. A man with a wandering gaze sat across from another man whose hand would brush against the legs of the waitresses walking past. Akaashi’s face soured, and he gave Oikawa a skeptical glance.

“I don’t do romance.” Akaashi smiled. “So I’m going to have to reject your offer _again._ ”

“What even is your obsession with him getting a boyfriend?” Iwaizumi asked. He sat on the other side of the table next to Oikawa. His arms were crossed as he leaned back in his seat, but his eyes sparkled as he looked next to him. Akaashi shifted in his seat.

“I just want him to smile more,” Oikawa said. “He’s been third wheeling for far too long. He needs someone.”

Akaashi sniffed. He shook his head at the smile Oikawa shot him. 

“Unlike you, I don’t need someone else to drown my issues out in,” Akaashi said.

Oikawa gasped. His face soured as his mouth opened and closed like a fish. Akaashi grinned and took a sip of his deer. 

“That’s not true,” Oikawa said. “Iwa-chan and I are in love. Isn’t that right?”

Iwaizumi raised a brow. “There’s a little bit of both. I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve cried in my arms.”

“Iwa-chan!”

Akaashi grinned as Oikawa playfully smacked Iwaizumi. He caught his hand and pulled him in close. Akaashi averted his eyes before they could start making out in front of him. The only downside to his lack of romantic interest was the ever growing romance around him. Every Hallmark movie played in front of him anywhere he went. 

“I’m going to get going,” Akaashi said. “So you two can have your fun. Don’t do anything too risky, use—”

“We’ll be safe mother,” Oikawa interrupted. “You better watch out though. I’m going to get you a boyfriend by the end of the year.”

Akaashi left before he could hear anything else. Outside, the city was alive and glowing brightly. Christmas hung at every corner, wrapping around buildings and flashing brilliant colors. A small breeze blew into the air, ripping at the dead trees. Across the street a couple was holding hands and laughing brightly.

Like he said, a Hallmark movie.

Luckily, a cab was close by to pull him away before the plot could pick up. He settled into the silence with a grin. His shoulders dropped, and he opened his phone. A barrage of messages glowed back about from his veterinarian group chat. He sent a response to the question about going to a party after their exam. They needed at least one driver.

Arriving at his apartment, Akaashi tipped the taxi driver well and told him to have a good night. He wasn’t wished one as well, but he exited the car before his brain could catch it.

A strange smell wafted through his apartment building as the automatic doors gave way. His nose scrunched at the scent of burning flesh. He hoped his neighbors hadn’t been cooking. The two college students could barely ties their own shoes let alone boil water.

But the stench only grew as he rose through the elevator. The man inside’s face contorted as well. His brows furrowed as he looked at his phone. Akaashi recognized his blonde hair and glasses as one of his neighbors friends. Great.

Yet, when the door beeped open, the hallway was fine. The grey walls untouched, no smoke drifting through the corridor. Only the scent indicated that something went awry. 

Akaashi and the man exchanged a look before shrugging and moving down the hallway. The smell only grew as they closed in on their neighboring doors. Akaashi gagged as the putrid smell burned through his mouth. He received a concerned glance but held up a hand to reassure that he was fine.

The man shrugged and entered the open apartment door. He yelled to ask if they knew about the smell. Through the door, they swore it wasn’t them. Akaashi’s brow inched up, but he turned his attention to his own door.

Stepping into his room, he strode into the dark hallway. It branched off into a stark white kitchen now black with the absence of light. A bar sat next to the counter that red into an open living room with windows overlooking the cityscape. The smell hung over everything, but nothing was out of place. Akaashi pinched his nose as he inspected every detail. All was the same as he had left it.

A crash echoed through the apartment. He startled, whipping around towards the sound. Every hair stands on end as he tiptoes to his room. Burning flesh filled his nose, but he kept down his gag. Instead, he pushed open the door. He froze.

Even in the darkness, the red was apparent. It painted his walls and pooled on the ground. His bed overturned and in place of it a figure shook, trying to pull himself. Everything Akaashi learned from vet school disappeared at the wings protruding from the man’s back. 

Akaashi flicked on the light and everything was ten times worse. The blood streaked claw marks tore holes into his walls and his bed. His dresser was overturned, the lamp knocked onto the ground with the shade ripped in half. And in the middle of all the chaos sat a half-naked winged man in a pool of blood. From his blackened skin the smell of burnt flesh coated the room.

Akaashi blinked, then blinked again. His brain whirled a hundred miles per second. 

He didn’t learn this in vet school.

The man was half conscious through the procedure. He insisted in a slurred voice that he _not_ go to the hospital. When he thrashed in Akaashi’s grip, he gave up and did what he said. Although he understood the body from small wings to strong legs, nothing prepared him for four foot long bones snapped in half with feathers half a foot long guarding them. 

When Akaashi finally set the bone, the man still had small cuts to be sticked, burns to receive ointment, and deep bruises to be iced. Whoever this man was, he certainly had luck on his side. If he crashed into any other apartment he’d either be in a hospital, scientific facility or dead. 

Akaashi’s hands stopped moving at three am. Sweat clung to his face in thick droplets and slicked the rest of his body. He scrubbed away the scent of burning flesh and blood in the shower. His head banged against the white walls as he forced out the reminder of class tomorrow. He could skip; if this experience showed him anything it was that he could definitely figure out how to help a household bird.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Akaashi looked to where the man slept soundly on the couch. Peppered hair hung in thick clumps over his face. Under the moonlight, his pale skin glowed and muscles rippled with every breath. For the first time since he arrived, he looked peaceful. 

The faint thought of how romantic this could be passed through Akaashi’s mind. But that discounted the blood and changed the mutant creature into a normal man. Akaashi walked away before his brain could explore those thoughts further.

With his bed in tatters and the room still smelling like death, he slept on the floor of the living room. To his luck, one of his blankets had not been destroyed and smelled like lavender. The scent was strong enough to carry him to sleep.

He woke up to his alarm. The sound seeped into his skin, turning it to pins and needles. He groans as he wipes sleep from his eyes. Muscles scream as he sits up with a yawn. Stretching does nothing to qualm the aches.

When he turned his head, he jolted. Jumping back, he backed away from the creature on his couch. But the memories from last night return and his shoulders drop.

“I wished that was a dream,” he said. He sent a glare at the man still nestled in sleep and moved away to the kitchen. He made toast and grabbed a banana to eat. A glance at his phone showed he could still make it to class, but another to the man seated him at the bar. He nibbled at his toast wondering what food bird people ate.

Three hours later a groan erupted in the air. Akaashi glanced up from his computer back at the couch to see the man finally moving. He sat up, yawning as he shook sleep from his body. His eyes blinked before narrowing. A wince pulled his face back. 

“You’re awake,” Akaashi said.

The man’s head whipped to the side, owlish eyes meeting Akaashi’s. All he needed now is a neck flexible enough to turn 270 degrees. 

He blinked. “I guess so.”

His face contorted as his hand moved to one of his wounds. Akaashi stood, grabbing a pain killer and a glass of water.

“This probably won’t do much,” he said, handing both to the man. “We’re banned from having the strong drugs, but this should at least take some of it away.”

The man took the contents emptying them into his mouth before offering his thanks. Akaashi watched his wings twitch, and his face pulled into a tight line.

“I’ll go make you something to eat,” he said. “You’re probably hungry.”

Akaashi was already at the kitchen counter before the man could nod. He grabbed flour and sugar from his cupboard, putting together pancakes. Anything out there loved pancakes, mutant creatures or overly tired students.

The man continued to sit at the couch, head turning to examine the space around him. When he spotted the city below the wall of glass, he grinned.

“Wow, that’s what Tokyo looks like?” he said. “It’s a lot different from what I remember. They never had that tower before.”

He pointed to the sky tree peeking out of the ocean of buildings. His eyes glowed under the sun hanging directly overhead. Akaashi winced at the light and turned back to his corner. The pancakes sizzled on the griddle.

“You’ve never been to Tokyo before?” Akaashi asked.

The man shook his head. “It’s been a while. I used to live around here though.” 

Akaashi frowned. He flipped the pancakes over twice before placing them on a plate. He walked over to the man with the plate and syrup in hand.

“Thank—”

Akaashi sat in the chair across from him and began to eat. The man’s face fell. Akaashi gave him a hard look.

“Before I give you any,” he said between mouthfuls. “Explain to me who you are, and what you are doing in my apartment.” 

The man frowned, but a glance at the pancake opened his mouth.

“My name is Bokuto Koutarou. I’m a shifter.”

Another bite filled Akaashi’s mouth. The taste was sour.

“Am I supposed to know what that means?”

“No,” Bokuto said. “We’re kinda supposed to be a secret.”

“I don’t think there’s anything secretive about breaking into a person’s apartment half-dead.” Bokuto flinced. He ran a hand through his hair, wincing as the stitches across his shoulder stretched. An incoherent grumble tumbled from his mouth.

As Bokuto scowled at the ground, Akaashi spoke again.

“So since you’re here, tell me what a sifter is.”

“I can’t.”

Akaashi raised an eyebrow. “Then no pancakes for you. There’s fruit in there if that suits your taste better. I bought it a month ago. I don’t know how good it will be for you.” 

Bokuto’s scowl grew. He kept eyeing the pancakes slowly disappearing from Akaashi’s plate. The griddle sizzled. His stomach let out a cry.

“Fine, you win!” he said, tugging at his hair. “Shifters are, well, people who can shift forms. We can shift into animals or objects, anything really. We can also shift into other dimensions, other times.”

Akaashi’s brow raised. “So like shape-shifting time travellers?”

“Pretty much.”

“That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing in my apartment.” 

Bokuto sighed, hands ripping through his hair again. “Do I have to tell you that?”

“I can eat all the pancakes.”

Another groan tore through the air as Akaashi grinned. The sweet taste of maple syrup collided with his tongue.

“So,” Bokuto said. “Shifters are in charge of keeping the world safe since they can travel anywhere at any time. Most of these threats people don’t even experience because we take care of them before they can reach them. One of these threats are things called phantoms. They are like ghosts bent on getting back at the world that harmed them.”

Akaashi’s stomach tightened. The taste in his mouth soured. He put his fork down.

“I was told to stop one of these phantoms. All of them live in their own dimension, but travel to the human one to do their business. I was in there, but the phantom was harder to catch than I thought. I kinda… lost to it. I got thrown from its dimension and ended up here.”

Bokuto shrugged as Akaashi gulped. He glanced down at his pancake, pushing them away. His stomach turned nauseous.

“Can I have pancakes now?”

Akaashi gave him the rest. 

As Bokuto ate noisily, Akaashi’s hand fumbled with one another. They chased each other as his mind raced. Taking in a breath did nothing to stop his pounding heart.

“So,” Akaashi said. “What’s the criteria for something to become a phantom?”

“Hmm?” Bokuto placed a finger to his chin. “Well pretty much if the person was angry or wanted to do something bad. That’s what most of them phantoms I’ve fought against said.”

“What about the one here?” Akaashi asked. “The one you just faced.”

Bokuto pursed his lips. “I don’t really remember. I kinda was busy trying not to die.” He gestured to his wounds.

Akaashi frowned. He twisted his fingers once and shook his head. Lifting it, he shifted a hard gaze to Bokuto. He stiffened.

“We have some other things to discuss. Namely those wounds of yours,” Akaashi said. “Are you able to do that shifting thing?”

Bokuto glanced at his wings and cuts and bruises on him. His face scrunched tighter and tighter. A knot twisted in Akaashi’s stomach. 

“Probably not,” he said. “Looks like I’m stuck here! Unless you don’t want me.”

Akaashi’s brow twitched. He bit his lip to keep from saying anything.

“You’ll have to stay here anyway,” he said. “No one can take care of your wounds unless you want to go to a hospital.”

Bokuto paled and threw his head side to side. Akaashi held in his sigh. 

“Then it looks like you’re going to stay until you’re better.”

  
  


Living with Bokuto made Akaashi set in his beliefs that having people over was _terrible._ The normal quiet he found at his kitchen counter disappeared under the static of the shoveling he endured at every meal. Even when his bedroom revived, he still heard Bokuto laughing at the TV, his new favorite pastime. To top it all off was the insistent questions he received. 

What it’s like in the city? You’re a vet? Like the people who take care of animals? Oh you’re becoming one! When I get better can I go outside and see the animals?

It was as though he adopted a child. He wondered why anyone would want to be a parent.

The only good part about the situation was Bokuto’s recovery. His bones were mending, and Akaashi actually pulled out a few of his stitches. Faint scars twisted over his arms and legs, but otherwise he was fine. Now if only those wings could heal faster, then he’d be out of Akaashi’s hair.

When Akaashi came home from his exam, his chest heaved like he ran a marathon. His limbs buzzed even though the professor said he did well. How much of that he actually believed was questionable.

Upon opening his door, his headache multiplied after hearing Bokuto crashing around inside. He almost turned around, but a scream forced him through. 

“I’m home,” Akaashi said.

“Oh thank GOODNESS. There’s something in here trying to kill me.”

Akaashi rushed over, stomach turning to ice. He stopped in front of the TV where Bokuto pointed at screaming and jumping. The cold evaporated. A tiny bug took to the sky. Akaashi slammed his hands together, flicking his hands to get rid of the evidence. He raised a brow at Bokuto’s quivering from.

“It’s literally a bug.”

“Oh,” he said. “I forgot you have those here.” 

Akaashi was about to ask what he thought it was, but the pale of Bokuto’s face stopped him. Instead, he turned to the sink, washing off the red staining his hands. 

Bokuto didn’t leave the couch for a good half hour. It wasn’t until Akaashi began cooking that he came over to the table and gingerly eased into the seat. He winced as he sat.

“Wings still tender?” Akaashi asked over the sizzle of his pan.

“Yeah. They’re getting there though,” He flicked them open to demonstrate. They almost take up the entire room. Akaashi stared at the white and grey speckled feathers. “Soon I’ll return to saving the world.”

The frown on his face was foreign. It didn’t fit his features quite right. Akaashi’s face turned sour.

“How long have you been doing that?” Akaashi asked. 

“Saving the world?”

Akaashi held a retort at the tip of his tongue, but Bokuto’s sparkling eyes stopped him. He nodded instead.

“About twelve years,” he said. “But the first two were training.”

“How old are you now?”

“Twenty-four, I think. It’s kinda hard to keep track of days travelling through dimensions.”

Akaashi’s eyes widened as he did the math. 

“That’s impressive.”

“I know right? The training is insane, but the payoff is amazing,” Bokuto said. “It’s fun in its own way. Being a hero, you know?”

Akaashi smiled. “It sounds cool.”

“Hey don’t sell yourself short! You’re a hero too,”

“How?”

“You saved me didn’t you? You’re also going to go on to save a lot of animals, right? That’s pretty heroic don’t you think?”

Akaashi’s chest warmed, his smile curling higher. “I guess so.”

  
  


The next day Akaashi was supposed to go out to celebrate the passing of his exam. He texted his classmates that he’d be there. He was literally in the doorway. But something about Bokuto stopped him in his tracks. 

He still sat on the couch, but his eyes kept flickering this way and that. Every second his face twisted tighter and tighter. When he screamed, Akaashi stopped watching and approached him.

“What’s up?” Akaashi asked. 

He tried to sit next to Bokuto, but he pulled away. That was a first.

“Hey, Bokuto?” He tried to get his attention, but Bokuto’s eyes stared unmoving at a single spot on the wall. “I have to go out. Are—”

His voice was lost as Bokuto grabbed his shirt and pulled him behind the couch. Wings swarmed around him blocking his view. Bokuto’s heart beat frantically underneath Akaashi’s ears. Every muscle was tensed. 

“Bokuto—”

“It’s here.”

Bokuto’s tone turned the room to ice. Chills seeped over Akaashi’s back. He kept himself from shuddering, afraid the slightest movement would awake whatever _it_ was. 

Over the pounding of Bokuto’s heart, a shuffle echoed through the room. At first it was quiet at first, but it grew in volume. The shuffle turned to footsteps then thudding. Akaashi inclined his head, but Bokuto forced it down.

“Don’t move,” he whispered. “It’ll hear you.” 

The dying light of the sun cut through the room. It grabbed onto the shadows of the couch and TV, spreading them over Akaashi. Darkness flickered, the television’s shape morphing before snapping back to normal. The sound of footsteps continued to grow without a presence to accompany them.

Then he heard it. A hiss, so low that he strained for a wave to pass through his ears. Garbled noise followed, but the clear ‘no’ cut through the air.

The fortress around Akaashi shuddered. It cracked upon the continuous sounds and footfalls. 

A crash broke through the air. Static buzzed through the air, sparks of light cascading to the floor. They flickered out on the wood and were crushed completely under the weight of a chair. The impact shook the glass.

The wings around Akaashi unfurled. They were slow to move; Akaashi could see Bokuto wincing from the effort. 

“What are you doing?” he mouthed. Bokuto met his eyes. His heart rate tripled, but he smiled.

“What I should’ve done before.”

Springing into the air, Bokuto disappeared over the other side of the couch. A screech tore through the air, and Akaashi covered his ears as it rattled his brain. An ache cut through his skull, but he pushed it down to stand. If Bokuto hadn’t thrown out a wing and made him duck, his head would’ve been sliced off from the knife thrown through the air.

The blade tore into the wall, carving out a deep groove. Akaashi shook as he cowered. His hands twisted together as though in prayer. 

Two crashes echoed through the air, but Akaashi kept his mouth shut. Bokuto had been doing this his whole life, he told himself. He should trust him. But as a scream tore through the air, one he so familiar he wanted to claw it from his mind, his legs straightened. He ran across the room, grabbing the knife and whirling around.

His gaze fell on something silver tangling into Bokuto’s shoulder. Moving on pure impulse, he threw the blade. It wedged into the silver creature, a scream tearing from its mouth as it pried itself away from Bokuto. 

It was then that Akaashi met grey eyes, and the world stopped. Everything fell away as he stared into the face of the dead. With a blink, it disappeared.

The strength in Akaashi’s legs dissolved as he sunk to the floor. His body shook as that face filled his vision. He could hear the voice again, the soft whispers, and even softer touches. His body wretched out nothing.

Something tapped his back, but it was distant, a dimension away. His vision continued to swirl with images of love that once had been locked up.

“Akaashi!” a voice called him back from the grave. “Akaashi are you there? Did do anything to you.”

“No,” Akaashi’s could barely breathe. “It can’t be. He’s gone.”

His body shook from a weight. Akaashi raised his eyes to meet Bokuto’s wild ones. 

“Are you alright?” Bokuto asked.

“Was that a phantom?” 

Bokuto’s brow tightened. His hand tightened on Akaashi’s back. 

“Yeah,” he said. “But nevermind that are you—”

“That was my old boyfriend.”

  
  


They didn’t go out that night. Akaashi texted that he got sick, and from all the throwing up he did that night, it wasn’t far from the truth. Instead, he snuggled up on his couch replaying his favorite movie to push away that image of the dead from his brain. But those eyes kept crawling back into his vision, and his head kept spinning to the side. 

When Bokuto finally emerged from his shower, Akaashi’s curled himself in a ball, eyes frantically moving side to side. 

He didn’t even hear Bokuto the first time he spoke.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“I asked if you were watching that movie,” Bokuto said. “I found one the other day I think you would like.”

Akaashi curled in tighter and nodded. Bokuto grinned and sat next to him grabbing the remote. Watching Bokuto flash through the movies was strangely domestic to the encounter earlier that day. Akaashi’s gut tightened and buried more into his blankets. 

As the movie started playing, Bokuto leaned back into the couch. His wings hung over the back, flinching as he moved them into position. They were stiffer than usual, but there wasn’t anything Akaashi could do. The only wound Bokuto received from the right was a bruise on his shoulder and cut across his cheek. They were almost gone by the time the movie started. 

Despite Bokuto’s fervent checking, Akaashi yielded no wounds. Only a tornado raging through his head that the movie barely contained. It at least kept the voices at bay. But every inch of his skin crawled and the blanket didn’t block out the touch.

An arm curled around his shoulders snapping his head to the side. He looked up to meet Bokuto’s eyes. Their gold was a sunrise that Akaashi drowned himself in.

“You looked a little upset. I didn’t know if you wanted some comfort. I can stop if you—”

“This is fine,” Akaashi said. “This is _nice._ ”

Bokuto’s wings fluttered behind him as he beamed. He nestled closer. The burning underneath Akaashi’s skin disappeared. Instead, it was replaced by warmth. A blanket far cosier than his own wrapped around him. In those arms he felt safe, he felt secure.

“Thank you,” Akaashi said. “For earlier.”

“Don’t sweat it. It’s my job after all!”

But in his hold, Akaashi knew it was more than that. 

Bokuto was cleared two weeks later. After days of no incidents and no pain, Akaashi said he was okay as his wings stretched to their full length. The sunlight showered him in an ethereal glow. He was a guardian angel.

“We should get something to celebrate,” Bokuto said. “Since you missed your outing that other time.”

Akaashi frowned. He glanced outside at the dying sun. Lights flicked on all over the city as the preparations for the holidays drew closer. He could practically feel all the people trudging around outside.

“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. I can make you something sweet instead,” he said.

Bokuto pouted. “But I _already_ had sweets last week. I haven’t seen Tokyo in _years._ Just one night.”

Akaashi’s brow furrowed. He stared at Bokuto’s wings and gestured to them. “I can’t explain those to any passersbys.”

Bokuto’s eyes lit up. “Oh that’s easy.”

A second later, his wings disappeared. Akaashi’s mouth fell open. He ran a hand over Bokuto’s back, not a trace of bone sticking through.

“You could’ve done that at any point?”

“Well I _could’ve,_ ” he said. “But that would’ve hurt my body more. Shifting requires the folding of bone, or at least that’s what my teacher said. So treating when they were tucked in would’ve been harder.”

Akaashi gave him a side-eye that he ignored.

“Anyway, we’re clear to go downtown right?”

“Fine. But do anything that would attract any unnecessary attention.”

“I would never!”

To Akaashi’s luck, Bokuto was normal the entire evening. Except for the oohing and ahhing at everything from the christmas lights, to the Sky Tree, he enjoyed himself as any other person would. Not a shapeshifter, not a hero. Just a random guy touring the city of Tokyo for the first time.

They stop to eat at an outdoor restaurant; although, Akaashi insisted they didn’t. But Bokuto didn’t spill his dish over the counter, or talk with food shoved in his mouth. He instead marveled at the taste, face easing at every bite. He teased Akaashi that he would’ve spent any amount of money to eat there instead of his kitchen. Akaashi almost made him pay for that.

After finishing their dinner, they strolled back through the park. Vibrant blues and white warmed the chilly night sky. Their breaths collided, making one large cloud of steam that blew past them. Akaashi glanced at the wonder on Bokuto’s face and a smile tugged at the corners of his cheeks. 

“Thank you for taking me out tonight,” Bokuto said. “Even heroes need a break, you know?”

“You’re welcome,” Akaashi said. “I’m happy you came.”

He allowed the words to take their own meaning in Bokuto’s head. Whatever that might be, it made Bokuto grin one of sunshine. Akaashi’s heart pulled towards it, but he forced him to pull away before it could grow attached. It was their last night after all.

“So I’ve been thinking,” Bokuto said. “Since that phantom is still in your house, and only I can get rid of it, I was thinking I should stay with you until I can finish it.”

Akaashi stiffened. His movements halted. 

“Isn’t there something else you should get rid of?” Akaashi asked. 

Bokuto’s eyebrow furrowed. “Yeah, but you’re in danger with that thing in your house. It attacked you last time.”

“I clearly remember him attacking _you._ ”

“Exactly why I should get rid of it. It’s dangerous.

“You can’t.”

“And why is that?”

“Because _it_ used to be my boyfriend.”

The traces of his touch flamed across Akaashi’s skin. It’s almost as if when he went home, he’d be waiting there for him. 

But Bokuto’s eyes told a completely different story. They were wild. His hands twitched in his pocket as though they were ready to shoot out and grab him.

“That isn’t your boyfriend anymore,” Bokuto said. “Like I said before, phantoms are malicious entities.”

“But maybe he isn’t,” Akaashi said. 

“It _attacked_ me.”

“Because you were trying to kill him!”

“So I could keep people like you safe!” Bokuto gritted his teeth. “I know it’s hard, but you have to let go, Akaashi. That thing will only cause trouble.” 

“No! I’m not letting you kill him.”

“It’s the only way to keep you safe.”

“So you’re going to kill him before even trying to understand him?”

Bokuto flinched back. His shoulders shook, and his breathing doubled. “I’ve tried before. Listen to me; there’s no way to get through to him. You have to let go, otherwise you’re going to be trapped like I was. So please, let me keep you safe.”

Akaashi’s mouth snapped shut. His chest heaved. Voices rang in his ears as he lowered his head. His cheeks warm, and he bit his lip to keep the tears from falling. 

“I know it’s hard, but—”

“Don’t touch me!”Akaashi smacked away Bokuto's hand. His eyes flamed as they raised. A snarl tore through his mouth.

“I’m not letting you hurt him. He’s the only man I have ever loved and _will_ ever love, so drop this hero act and go play pretend somewhere else. I never should’ve helped you.

He turned, breaking into a sprint before he could hear Bokuto’s voice. His key rang in his pocket as sprints through the park to a street where he called out to a cab. He arrived home in ten minutes to an empty apartment free from feathers, and movies, and people. And the silence has returned. He locked his door and seeped onto the couch. There the quiet surrounded him. It wrapped him in a blanket. But this one grew itchy. It wasn’t like the one before.

He sat on his couch, trying to warm himself. Curling into a ball, he expects some semblance of warmth to come. But it was cold. Too cold. A chill rose through his bones, and he shuddered. And there he saw him.

Across the room, he sat in the chair. His grey hair was brighter, a silver now. But his eyes are still two grey diamonds that he wanted to dive into. 

“Osamu,” he said. “You’re back.”

He stood, a grin overtaking his face. “Yeah, I am.”

Then the world disappeared.

  
  


Akaashi awoke in his apartment, but the bed felt different. The springs gave way to his full weight and supported his muscles. It was comfortable, but tired bags still weighed down Akaashi’s eyes. Even the scent of pancakes didn’t raise them.

Pushing himself from his bed, Akaashi stumbles out his door into the kitchen full of sunlight. It was bright, so much so that his eyes squinted. But it was warm.

“Oh you’re awake,” a voice called from the skillet. Akaashi smiled at the chef flipping pancakes behind the counter. 

“Good morning love,” Akaashi said. He eased himself into the bar seat, taking in a whiff of the sizzling pan. “Pancakes for breakfast?”

Osamu sent him back a grin. “They’re your favorite. I couldn’t pass up the chance to see you smile.”

Akaashi’s lips turned up on their own. But they droop as they see the burnt edges of the pancakes. He wanted to open his mouth, yet it felt as though something clamped down on him to prevent him from talking.

“So I was thinking that after breakfast we could go for a walk,” Osamu said. “The cherry blossoms are blooming. I saw them yesterday, they’re quite beautiful.”

Akaashi wanted to say that it was winter so none would be out, but Osamu continued.

“Afterwards we can go to the cinema. There’s a new romance movie I know you’ll love. I came out yesterday just in time for valentine’s. What do you think?”

“I’ve never liked romance movies.”

The words tumbled from Akaashi’s mouth as the clamp on his mouth lifted. Osamu’s eyes narrowed, and a silver glint ran through his body. He moved away from the skillet meeting Akaashi’s gaze. He smiled too high.

“Say Keiji, I have a question for you?”

Akaashi could only nod.

“Do you love me?”

“I,” the next word caught on Akaashi’s tongue. His mind screamed one thing, and as he tried to push it through his mouth closed.The kitchen no longer smelled of pancakes and sizzling butter. It smells of burning flesh. Akaashi’s nose scrunched up.

“What was that Keiji?”

“I did love you,” he said. “I wanted to love you. But I couldn’t. Anytime I tried to get through to you didn’t listen to me. You never did. You—”

A sting cut across Akaashi’s cheek. Blood splattered on the ground next to him as he fell, the chair disappearing. When he looked up, the glint of a blade shined in the light of Osmau’s silver body. The room around him was gone, replaced by a blinding white. 

“But you came back,” Osamu said. “Why?”

“I didn’t want you to die again. Even if we didn’t work out I didn’t want you to go again because it hurt the first time,” Akaashi said. “And I didn’t want it to hurt again.”

Osamu gritted his teeth. He threw another knife, this one colliding into Akaashi’s foot. He let out a scream, falling to the ground. 

“I loved you Keiji! But I don’t think you loved me,” Osamu said. He threw another blade, this one rammed through Akaashi’s hand pinning it to the floor. “So I can’t let you leave again.”

Akaashi gritted his teeth and grabbed the knife protruding from his hand. Blood flicked to the floor, but he ignored it, opting instead to stand. He drew his shoulders back, and moved away as another knife flew through the air.

“If you loved me,” Akaashi said. “You wouldn’t have taught me that love was bad.”

With the flick of his wrist, Akaashi spun the blade towards Osamu. It cut through his shoulder, spraying red down his arm. As he cried, the room grew brighter. Reaching down, Akaashi gripped the second knife. He glanced between it and Osamu. 

“I should’ve listened to you Bokuto,” he said. “It would’ve been easier. But I’m done doing things the easy way.”

He met Osamu’s gaze. Wild eyes stared back, foam nearly frothing at his mouth. He couldn’t see the warm smiles or comforting embrace anymore.

“Please, rest easy this time. And know at one point, I _did_ love you.”

Osamu’s eyes eased the slightest as the knife flew through the air. It collided with his chest, piercing through his heart. Akaashi’s muscle dropped at the smile on Osamu’s face. The silver coating disappeared with his form. Grey eyes met him for one last time before they dissolve as well.

Then there was a shaking. The white terrain glowed brighter and brighter, blinding his eyes. Underneath him the ground rumbled. His face paled as his air began to be sucked away. The entire world around him shattered.

Before it could collapse on him, the feeling of wings, and a sunshine embrace pulled him. When his eyes opened, he was back at his apartment. The darkness seeped around him with the spotless counters and plain couch sitting as they always did. But this time there was a difference. Arms wrapped around him holding on like he was going to disappear.

“I was so scared,” Bokuto said. “I broke through the door, and you were gone. I didn’t know what to do. I thought he killed you.”

His grip tightened, but Akaashi moved into it. 

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright. I’m safe, I’m okay. I promise,” Akaashi said. “Plus you saved me, huh? Like a hero.”

Bokuto’s muscles eased, but his heartbeat pounded. 

“That doesn’t matter. I didn’t get to you in time to keep you safe. This is why we don’t tell people about us. I dragged you into this mess and now you’re hurt.”

Akaashi pulled back on Bokuto until he met his eyes. They sparkled. “I don’t regret meeting you nor being dragged into this strange world of yours. I’m better now because of it.”

Bokuto sniffed and dove his head deeper into Akaashi’s shoulder.

And in those arms Akaashi felt love again. 

  
  


The party was set on Valentine’s day. Akaashi’s apartment was decorated floor to ceiling in little cut out hearts. His counter was full with candy and cards each with a name on it. All of that was Bokuto’s idea, but Akaashi grinned every time he walked by.

It was a half hour until the party, and Akaashi scrambled to get ready. Their shared bedroom was still a mess with clothes littered everywhere, but no one would see that. However, they would see the stain on his shirt from the punch he’d try to make. 

Scrubbing at the shirt, he let out a groan and threw it off for another. The red button up was a bit more formal than he was used to, but it fit him well. Running a comb through his hair, he nodded at his appearance.

All that left was the guests and his special someone. He promised to be back before the party but as the clock grew closer to nine, Akaashi hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him. He frowned as the clock turned to eight fifty five.

When Akaashi was about ready to give up and text his friends, he made his appearance. The air rippled, and as Akaashi reached down to grab his phone, he barreled into him. They tumbled back onto the couch, the blanket getting tangled in them.

Bokuto grinned down at Akaashi. 

“Hey Keiji, I made it back in time.”

“Just barely.”

“I still made it.”

Akaashi rolled his eyes, and moved himself from under him. He stared at his lips, but told himself that he could wait. Instead, he chided Bokuto on his messy hair and soaked shirt, telling him to clean up. Bokuto grinned and pushed himself off to their bedroom, but after a quick kiss.

The knock at the door startled him, but Akaashi sucked in a breath, puffed out his chest, and allowed his guests into his apartment.

**Author's Note:**

> I like me some magic AU's :D anyways I hope you enjoyed. Stay safe!


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